Rarely do we see a record that didn’t look lined up for a #1 rise the week before suddenly put the gas pedal down and jumping to #1. Which makes this week’s climb so fun. The album that rose to #1 this week was not only holding at #8 last week but was climbed over by another record. But that meant nothing this week as Canadian musician Andy Shauf leapt into the top spot with his eighth studio album, Norm (Anti-/Arts & Crafts). Although this climb was a surprise this week the artist enjoying this unexpected climb is no stranger to the top spot. In fact, this week’s climb ties him with Jeff Tweedy for the most #1 albums ever on the NACC 200. Tweedy has done it twice as a solo artist and twice with Wilco. Shauf now has three solo chart-toppers and one with his band Foxwarren. The gap between Shauf & this week’s #2 record from King Tuff was the absolute slimmest of margins so next week’s battle will be interesting.
For just the tenth time there is no new music reaching the NACC Top 10 this week. But there are a number of records closing in quickly on the top tier. The biggest climb into the Top 20 this week (and the biggest climb on the entire chart) comes from Los Angeles quartet, Death Valley Girls. Formed in 2013 and fronted by charismatic singer/guitarist/keyboardist Bonnie Bloomgarden, the band has released five studio albums, including their latest, Islands In The Sky (Suicide Squeeze). The album soars 130-20 on the NACC 200.
The second-biggest climb into the NACC Top 20 this week comes from English five-piece Shame. Formed in 2014, we first featured their second LP, Drunk Tank Pink, on our weekly chart recap in January of 2021. They are now back with their third LP, Food For Worms (Dead Oceans/Secretly Group), which soars 72-14 on the NACC 200.
Last week’s most-added album is, not surprisingly, this week’s highest debut. Margaret Sohn who records as Miss Grit, storms the NACC 200 this week at #29 with their debut LP, Follow The Cyborg (Mute). The album is currently one of the Top 20 best-reviewed releases of 2023 according to Metacritic.
The most-added album of the week belongs to Hannah van Loon. She records under the name Tanukichan. The San Francisco artist began her professional music career in 2016 releasing her debut LP in 2018. The follow-up to that record is called Gizmo (Carpark) and it collected 60 Top 10 Adds this week. Look for a splashy NACC 200 debut next week!
Another week, another first for British singer Arlo Parks. “Weightless,” the first single from her second LP, My Soft Machine (due May 26), spends a sixth straight week at #1 on the NACC Singles Chart. The second preview track from the album, “Impurities” is this week’s most-added single, collecting enough Top 10 Adds to place inside the Top 10 of the overall adds. That makes her the first artist to hold the #1 spot on the NACC Singles Chart while simultaneously grabbing ‘most-added single’ honors with another.
The current Top 5 overall NACC Adds, the genre chart-toppers, and the week’s most-added genre records are included below. In addition to returns to #1 at Jazz and Heavy, there are new #1s at NACC NEXT, NACC Canada, and Chill.